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The Order of Fire and Steel
The emergence of gunpowder weapons has changed the face of warfare, making it possible for small forces to overcome large empires. The sheer power and the shorter time it takes to train a soldier in its use made firearms the emerging weapon of choice. Gunpowder technology was thought to be simultaneous discoveries of different craftsmen from different parts of the world, but in reality, this was the work of a certain group who call themselves the Order of Fire and Steel. They are formed by the descendants of the ancient civilization of Eincrad, who were the first to harness the power of firearms. A few decades ago, a man who called himself Prime began setting into motion what would become the birth of the Order. He tracked every single piece of Relic and information passed down by their ancestors and brought them all together. However, due to the fear of what happened to Eincrad, they decided to make their rise back into power a secret and operate in the shadows. The first gunpowder weapons seen in this era were the result of rogue Order agents who decided to make their own fortune by selling them to different nations. The first reaction of the Order was to purge those who came to know about firearms, leaving whole cities devastated. But as the spreading of the technology got out of hand than what the Order could control without risking discovery, they decided to accept the emergence of firearms into the world and instead profit from it. To do this, they knew outright selling of firearms would result to being taken over like before, so they decided to sell secretly until they amassed enough wealth and gathered enough of a fighting force to defend themselves. Next, they created a separate organization, the Crossroads Artifacts Guild, to handle all the business side of things, using free trade as a mask to gather more resources. They created their own military force, the Dispatches, who are used to further the causes of the Order and defend itself. Among the Dispatch, there is an elite group called the Gunslingers, 13 chosen individuals who are deemed worthy of wielding the Legendary Arms. The Order has their direct influence around the Crossroad Isles, infiltrating the small countries and city-states, even controlling some with puppet leaders, and has peaceful dealings with the Pirate Lords of Wayfarer's Point, gaining their cooperation and silence in exchange for supply of firearms. But the fear of being found out if they tried to infiltrate larger empires such as Tirac or Sasana, they opted to use the Guild to deal with these powers, using trade as a means to throw their weight around. Around the time of Vance's retirement, there was a great crisis in the Order. 26 Forbidden Arms as well as some schematics mysteriously disappeared. The first suspect was Vance, but after investigations, he was acquitted. The suspicion was finally dropped when 10 years ago, a man not from the Order was discovered to be wielding a Forbidden Arm. Acting immediately, the Order apprehended him and interrogated him on the matter, but all he knew was that a mysterious man suddenly appeared to him, offering him power in exchange for a huge amount of money. Since then, one of the primary directives of the Order is to recovery these lost Arms and schematics. To date, 18 Forbidden Arms remain scattered, as well as the schematics.